Cord fabric downspout



M y 16, 1961 M. M. CUNNINGHAM 2,934,503

CORD FABRIC DOWNSPOUT Filed April 11. 1957 ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,984,503 CORD FABRIC DOWNSPOUT Marion M. Cunningham, Providence, R.I., assignor to United States Rubber Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 11, 1957, 'Ser. No. 652,275 3 Claims. (Cl. 285-260) This invention relates to spouts, particularly those of elastic material adapted for use in filling large collapsible shipping containers of the general type shown in the United States Patent No. 2,612,924, having a discharge opening in the center of one end and a filling opening in the other end.

Containers of this type are generally laded with powdered materials and pressurized with air or some inert gas, such as nitrogen, to expand the container to its full size so that it can be easily handled by rolling. A pressure of 1 to pounds per square inch is common.

In filling, the container is held under a fixed dispensing hopper by suspending it from an overhead cable with the container bottom sitting on the floor. A short sleevelike spout connects the container to the dispenser for passage of the materials between them. As the container becomes filled, it rises toward the fixed hopper reducing the distance between them. Naturally, to accommodate, the spout must decrease in length. At the present time the spout is made of flexible fabric, which although gas impervious, decreases its length only by folding or inwardly collapsing of its wall. This creates a restriction in the sleeve passage that can have undesirable, costly results in that the pressure may break the sleeve connection and permit the valuable material to escape.

Accordingly, it is the intent of this invention to provide a spout adapted for use between delivering and receiving receptacles that will adjust itself to variations in distance between them without any restriction of its flow passage. It is also an object of this invention to provide ends to a spout that make it readily connectible or disconnectible to container fittings or other similar spouts.

These aims are achieved by making a spout of elastic material with longitudinally embedded, flexible, non-extensible cords that are secured to rings at the ends of the spout. The rings are enclosed in folds made by doubling back the ends of the spout wall (the elastic material and cords). This construction provides a spout with a wall that is capable of bellowing radially outwardly between the rings when the material is passing through it under pressure and the rings are moved relatively towards each other as is the case when the distance between the receiving receptacle and the delivering receptacle is reduced.

Further details and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. '1 is an elevational view showing the spout of this invention connected to a collapsible container that is about to be filled with powdered material but yet unpressurized;

Fig. 2 is similar to Fig. l but shows the container pressurized and substantially filled;

Fig. 3 shows the spout in section with a broken away part having one end connected to the fixture of a container and its other end connected to a similar spout end; and

Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 3 but also shows the spout expanded outwardly.

Referring to the drawings and in particular to Fig. 1, there is shown a collapsible container 1 of the general type to which the spout of the present invention is intended to be used. The container is formed of flexible cord fabric which is covered and impregnated with rubber to render the fabric gas and liquid impervious. When inflated, it is of a generally cylindrical shape and has at one end a lifting eye 2 by which the container may be suspended by some suitable means, such as a cable 3 secured to beam B. A fitting 4 with a filling opening is provided in the top of the container to one side of the lifting eye 2 and another 5 with a discharge opening is provided in the bottom of the container. The container 1 is positioned under the discharge tube of a dispensing hopper 6 and connected to it by means of a spout 10. The bottom of the container 1 rests on the floor to keep the weight of the lading ofi the chain as the container is being filled, As shown in Fig. 1, the container 1 is in position for filling, but it has not been sufliciently inflated to assume its normal cylindrical shape and, therefore, sags in the center; its filling opening is at a distance below the discharge opening of the hopper 6 equal to the length of the spout 10. As the container 1 is filled with air and the powdered material it rises towards the hopper 6 and the distance then between the hopper 6 and the container 1 is decreased. This moves the ends of the spout toward each other, and the pressure forces the circumferentially elastic walls of the spout v10 outwardly to a bellows shape (Fig. 2). The spout 10 thus adjusts itself to the decrease in distance between the hopper 6 and the container 1.

The elements of the spout 10 that permit it to bellow outwardly in a radial direction when under pressure reducing its length are illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. These figures also reveal the versatility of the spout. As shown, the spout 10 is connected to a container fitting 5 at one end and to a spout 10' of similar construction at the other end. Any number of spouts can be so joined to provide a desirable length. Fig. 4 illustrates the bellowing that takes place as in filling containers connected by joined spouts.

' Each of the spouts 10 and 10' have a plurality of longitudinally extending cords 11 embedded in an elastic rubber tube 12, the ends of which are bonded to circular beads 13 and 14 that form projecting rims 15 and 16. The cords 11 are non-resilient though flexible. They are sufliciently strong, taken together, for resisting bellowing when the spout 10 is connected under normal container pressure and there is no tendency of the receptacle and container to move toward each other, but at the same time the cords 11 will yield radially to permit bellowing to "the full extent when the spout ends are moved relatively together as shown in Fig. 4 because of the elasticity of the rubber coating. The cords 11, as shown, lay parallel with each other at a suitable spacing and have no cross cords joining them together. A. weftless tire fabric is suitable for the purpose.

Each ring 13 and 14 is a resilient, circular in section, rod bent into an annulus. The cords 11 and the elastic material 12 are folded or looped over the rings 13 and 14. Since the spout wall is elastic, it is immaterial whether the fold is made to the inside of the tube or toward the outside, for coupling purposes.

In order to couple the spout 10 to the fixtures, 4 or 5, of a container or receptacle or to another similar spout having a diameter of equal size, the spout section 10 is arranged at substantially a right angle to the opening in the fixture or in another spout. The ring 13 or 14, which is also at right angles, is then deformed sufiiciently to an elliptical shape to pass through the opening, after which the spout 10 is aligned with the opening, and drawn outwardly so that the ring abuts the inward surface of the rim R on fixtures, 4 or 5, or against the ring on the other spout depending on to what the spout is being connected (Fig. 4). The deformed ring being of resilient material springs back to its original circular shape and being of the same diameter as the rim R or the ring on the other spout, it cannot be pulled past it.

Disconnecting is accomplished in the reverse order. Where a spout is connected to a non-deformable fitting, 5 (Fig. 3), it is possible to disconnect by forcing the ring 14 past the fitting 5 into the container, turning it at right angles to the opening of the fitting and forcing it outwardly.

It should be observed that in the connection of the spout to a container fitting 5, the fitting has only one rib, R, which prevents pulling the spout out of the fitting. This is the usual tendency against which provision must be made. Though the ends of the spout move together when a container rises, as in filling, the spout will not disconnect by being forced through the fitting 5 into the container, because the tendency is for the pressure to bellow the spout and force its wall over the outside surface of the fitting. Very little friction between the spout end and the inside surface of the fitting will achieve this result.

Only one type of joint or connection has been shown and described. Nevertheless, it is possible, to utilize the spout effectively with other joining means, such as a bayonet or screw sleeve secured to the ends of the spout which can be connected to a complementary fitting on a container or receptacle.

Thus, the invention provides a simple means of decreasing the effective length of the spout without restricting a flow passage. The construction of the spout is relatively simple and inexpensive, and because of the elastic material and flexibility of the cords no difficulty is encountered in stretching the spout radially so as to decrease practically 80% of its entire length.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An adjustable spout for use under internal pressure comprising a tube open at each end, said tube being formed of longitudinally extending closely spaced cords bonded together and coated with elastic rubber and being free of non-extensible circumferential elements whereby said tube, because of the longitudinal displacement of the cords and the elasticity of the rubber, will bellow outwardly under internal pressure when the ends of said tube are moved relatively toward each other.

2. A spout as defined in claim 1 in which each end of the tube is provided with a resilient ring around which the cords are wrapped and anchored.

3. An adjustable spout for use under internal pressure comprising, in combination, a tube open at each end, said tube being formed of longitudinally extending closely spaced cords bonded together and coated with elastic rubber and being free of non-extensible circumferential elements, at least one resilient ring around which the ends of the cords of said tube are wrapped and anchored, and at least one mating annular fitting, some part of the bore of said fitting being of smaller diameter than the outside diameter of said ring, said ring and said fitting forming a joint which is prevented from disconnecting under pressure by the bellowing of said tube over the shoulder formed by the small diameter part of the bore of said fitting on the side opposite to that against which said ring is abut-ted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 251,392 Ward Dec. 27, 1881 2,129,105 Spence Sept. 6, 1938 2,200,967 Phillips May 14, 1940 2,298,119 Gebert Oct. 6, 1942 2,678,666 Theis et al. May 18, 1954 2,704,556 Blish Mar. 22, 1955 2,811,178 Cunningham Oct. 29, 1957 

